Blog

Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Around 15% of people are vitamin B12 deficient. This nutrient is essential for overall health, in particular, it aids in DNA creation, cellular function, and helping oxygen reach the body’s cells. Vitamin B12 deficiency can sometimes take years to diagnose, mainly because it’s not checked in regular blood work. It’s important to know the symptoms so requesting the needed blood work becomes easier.
Symptoms:
• Mental health issues such as depression or anxiety
• Cognitive issues such as memory loss
• Pale skin
• Vision loss
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Numbness and tingling sensations anywhere on the body
• Muscle weakness
• Tiredness
• Lightheadedness/dizziness
• Smooth tongues with shrunken taste buds
People who have intestinal issues such as IBS or Chron’s disease are more likely to have vitamin B12 deficiency. People with immune disorders such as lupus are also vulnerable. A blood test can help determine if your issues are related to vitamin B12 or not. Your doctor will talk to you about ways of getting more of it in your diet should your results come back as deficient.

Leave a Reply